THUNDER BAY —The largest labour union at the Alstom plant in Thunder Bay will have a new leader when it begins negotiations on a new collective in the coming weeks.
Members of Unifor Local 1075 have elected Justin Roberts to take over from outgoing president Dominic Pasqualino, who's retiring after over 40 years at the plant.
"I definitely have some big boots to fill," Roberts said in an interview Tuesday. "I hope that I will achieve that during my term. I've had overwhelming support from the membership, and I'm excited to take on this role."
He echoed what Pasqualino has emphasized for the past few years, which is that the plant urgently needs to receive a big order in the near future, saying it will be hard to keep it operating otherwise.
"We need to try to minimize the amount of work that's being outsourced, because those are our local jobs that we're losing," Roberts said. "It's been the trend lately, and it's just been worrying us. We're trying to avoid that happening."
The current collective agreement with Alstom expires at the end of May.
Pasqualino officially steps down from the presidency on Wednesday and will retire from Alstom on May 31.
"I've worked here a total of over 40 years and I certainly appreciate the opportunity to have worked under one roof that long, and the opportunity to spend 12 years as union president," Pasqualino said. "I'm glad the membership gave me that opportunity. I've experienced a lot of personal growth and it's been an experience that not very many people are able to enjoy."
